Japan A to Z: Interview with Hideo Tanikawa

Professional guide Hideo Tanikawa reveals how to travel in Japan

Dear friends,

Through Substack and LinkedIn, former TV journalist Hideo Tanikawa was kind enough to answer my questions about working as a professional guide in Japan. You can find his work at his newsletter Japan A to Z, a vital resource I used when planning my trip last December. Hideo outlines his favorite spots in Japan, what areas are underrated, and how to combat overtourism.

Please note: this interview has been edited for brevity.

Meet Hideo Tanikawa

I am a big traveler. In my younger days, I traveled over 7,000 km (4,350m) by bicycle in Australia and New Zealand and participated in international adventure projects. These experiences led to my job as a TV journalist, reporting foreign news to Japanese audiences for many years. And now, I am a guide for visitors to Japan, providing information about travel in Japan to readers worldwide.

How long have you been a guide in Japan?

I obtained my Japanese government-approved guide license in April 2017. Still, due to various circumstances, I did not begin full-scale activities until the end of 2022, shortly before May 2023, when the pandemic had subsided and government regulations were relaxed.

The main reason for this was that I had been busy with my main charity-related job since I obtained my license, and the pandemic had taken away about three years of my life. I could start my activities earlier without the pandemic. On the other hand, I began Substack in spring 2022, and it was good timing that I started working on the guide after writing some articles.

What was the process to become a guide?

Under the Japanese system, in 2017, when I obtained my license, I could not work as a guide on a national scale unless I qualified as a "National Licenced Guide." The number of foreigners visiting Japan recovered surprisingly last year to exceed 35 million.

While the pass rate for interpreter guides continues to be narrow, at about 10% each year for English-speaking guides, the rapidly increasing demand for guides will not wait. As a result, it is now possible to work as a guide without a national licensed guide certification.

However, having this certification is an endorsement of trust, and the number of jobs available increases overwhelmingly. The exam is once a year. I qualified in English, but in addition to a high level of English proficiency, a wide range of knowledge is required, including general knowledge, geography, and Japanese history.

Where's your favorite place in Japan to take people or recommend to visitors?

The places to visit will depend on whether you are a first-time or repeat visitor. There are many different types of guides, from those who escort offshore tours on cruise ships to those who create custom-made trips according to the wishes of their clients. When I was younger, I avoided packaged and group tours and traveled independently. Most of Substack's readers who love to travel should be in the latter group.

If this is your first visit to Japan, the golden route of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka is inevitable. Still, if your schedule permits, including one or two destinations that foreign tourists rarely visit, is a good idea.

Suppose it is spring, cherry blossom season. In that case, it might be a good idea to avoid viewing cherry blossoms in Tokyo or Kyoto and go to a regional city such as Fukushima, Akita, or Aomori. Although it is crowded because Japanese tourists move simultaneously during this season, you can enjoy a different atmosphere from the Golden Route. I've published an article on Hanami spots in the Tohoku region.

During the autumn foliage season, there are plenty of opportunities to meet local people while avoiding extreme crowds. One such opportunity is to visit the Shirakami Mountains, which are on the border of Akita and Aomori prefectures. There, a sizable virgin forest remains.

Where is your favorite place in Japan to visit yourself?

If I were to go, my destinations would be divided into two. I love hiking in the mountains, where there are few people, and where I can feel the heartbeat of the earth and the breath of the trees. I go into the mountains during the fresh green season in late May to June, when you can feel the heartbeat of the mountains, and during autumn leaves in late October to early November, when the entire mountain changes color.

If you like hiking, I recommend these seasons when the colors of the mountains change dramatically. If you are in the suburbs of Tokyo, you can visit the Chichibu mountain range or Yatsugatake. It is not impossible to make a day trip with a rental car. If you have time, the Shirakami Mountains in Akita Prefecture or the Hakkōda Mountains in Aomori Prefecture are also beautiful places with virgin broadleaf forests. One of the great things about Tohoku is that many hot springs will help you recover from the fatigue of your body and mind after hiking in the mountains.

Another thing is the cultural experience through food. In Japan, you can enjoy seafood and many kinds of wagyu beef with local characteristics. It is a wonderful experience to taste regional products and local sake. Winter on the Sea of Japan is particularly the season to taste crabs and other rare fish. Toyama and Kanazawa are easily accessible and are on the Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train line, so you can stop by on your way home from Osaka or Kyoto.

Ramen, like sake, has a unique flavor that has been cultivated throughout local history. Beyond the categories of miso, shoyu, and tonkotsu (pork bone), you can experience the depth of the world of ramen. In this sense, there are endless ways to enjoy the colors of Japan.

How can tourists be exemplary visitors in Japan?

There are many customs in Japan that you will not understand until you travel there. Visiting a Japanese home is a typical example, but studying such things from scratch is unnecessary before visiting Japan. If you don't understand something, ask someone nearby. If you feel uneasy about something, ask them, too. Japanese people in the vicinity will always be kind enough to help you.

The distance between Japan and tourists will become minor from bridging the gap between the cultural differences between Japan and your own country. This would benefit us, the hospitality providers, and we can have a win-win relationship. I have felt the same in various countries I have visited for business and personal reasons. By communicating from the local point of view, we can see a new perspective.

Where is an underrated area of Japan?

According to some data, Japan is by far the country with the strongest revisit awareness among travelers, ahead of Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland. That is why I would like to ask if you would revisit Japan.

Travelers' interest is concentrated in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, but island hopping, for example, on the remote islands of Yakushima and Amami Oshima in Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan's World Natural Heritage sites are all remote islands, except Shiretoko and Shirakami.

The future as a winter resort destination is still in its infancy. Japan's ski resorts, with their powder snow, elevation differences, and snowfall, are still considered to have a promising future in the face of global warming. Aomori Prefecture, with its Hakkōda ski resort, and Zao in Yamagata Prefecture, famous for the ice formed by snow and seasonal winds, are examples of such resorts.

What do you wish more foreigners knew about Japan?

Sightseeing at temples and shrines in Nara and Kyoto is not the only way to learn about Japanese culture. Many castles built during Japan's feudal period, including those reconstructed and scattered throughout the country, are also worth visiting.

Himeji Castle

Just as there are already "castle geeks" among foreigners, many themes can deepen one's understanding of Japan based on specific traditional Japanese culture. This will be further deepened through hands-on tours, a phenomenon that will likely occur as the number of repeat visitors increases.

I hope that the production of Japanese swords and ceramics, the promotion of exchange among the younger generation through educational tours, and such people-to-people exchanges will have a synergistic effect, increasing the number of repeat visitors to Japan and spreading the "comfort" of a visit to Japan in the future.

I recommend entering Japan from regional airports such as Sapporo in Hokkaido and Fukuoka in Kyushu for repeat visitors. In particular, Asian airlines such as Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific fly into Fukuoka. Although there are more stops along the way, it is possible to enter from an airport close to your destination. Korean Air, in particular, offers flights to various cities in Japan and the option of flying via South Korea.

Japan has had issues with overtourism. Do you have recommendations for how visitors can better support Japanese communities?

According to expert analysis, Japan is experiencing over-tourism. Still, it has been pointed out that Italy, with a smaller land area than Japan, has three times the number of foreign tourists, and Singapore and Hong Kong have more than 20 times the number of foreign tourists per unit area. In short, Japan's tourists concentrate in specific areas such as Tokyo and Kyoto.

However, many attractive places nationwide are not being sent to these areas effectively. In this sense, it is essential to establish a method to promote each region of Japan's attractions to tourists and create a system to receive such tourists while controlling the number of tourists. Japan should further study the examples of other countries, reaffirm its current position, and consider how to respond uniquely.

What is your favorite Japanese food? Where's your favorite place to eat?

I am a big fan of Japanese buckwheat noodles. Soba originally came to be grown in mountainous areas such as Nagano Prefecture because it can be grown even in barren land where rice cultivation is impossible. The texture varies greatly depending on the proportion of buckwheat flour used and the preparation method, and it is often served with tempura. Chilled sake goes so well with soba; sipping soba while drinking sake in the daytime is a tasteful experience.

Travelers may first want to try the teppan-yaki wagyu beef, but I suggest you try the yakiniku. The reason is simple: you can eat various parts of meat and taste various forms of meat, from lean meat to ribs. And it is far more cost-effective than teppanyaki. I suggest going to a reputable yakiniku restaurant, even if it is more expensive.

How can people contact you and support your work?

If you are a member of the Substack community, it would be best if you sent me a direct message. You can also become a Founding Member on Substack and try out services such as creating an itinerary. You can search for my name on LinkedIn to learn more about my background.

Is there anything else you would like to share about being a guide in Japan or traveling to Japan?

I am a traveler first. What kind of information and experiences are required and useful for travelers? This is my most important point now, and I hope to share information with you all through various channels. What do you want to know, and what is valuable information?"

I hope to connect with new people and build a network through this interview. My account will not grow rapidly, but after almost three years of doing this, I will continue meeting readers' needs and making those who visit Japan happy.

Huge thanks to Hideo for taking the time for this interview! Be sure to check out his work, especially when planning your next trip to Japan.